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How do they train themselves to be so impervious to reality?

strange has happened in America in the nine months since Barack Obama was elected. It has best been summarised by the comedian Bill Maher: "The Democrats have moved to the right, and the Republicans have moved to a mental hospital."

Paul Marks, a technology correspondent wrote the article, Packs of robots will hunt down uncooperative humans. He is concerned about how this technology will end up, and rightfully so. The Pentagon looking for contractors able to deliver a "Multi-Robot Pursuit System", should raise some eyebrows.

Future technologies on how to "search for and detect a non-cooperative human” at the present time in the research and development stage, might outdo any of our imaginary ideas. However, it is easy to envision how non-human lifeforms with humanlike intelligence can be used for police operations.

The human race has always sought rational and irrational ways to become well fitted for the purpose as responsible and progressive intellectual beings. Always strived to improve it's living conditions and heighten the survival rate. Research and development of connecting technologies has become a big resource of benefit. Big money is involved in the shared vision of where the industry is heading and the complementary roles each company may want to play or fight for market control. This means that some people unwillingly have to pay a high price for progress to become reality- a progress that is withheld from general circulation or full disclosure.

Lack of factual information creates a naive conception of the development process of technologies sanctioned as safe to use, clouding the public debate and undermining sufficient grounds for government decision making. Securing human rights and safety when testing and implementing safe-to-use technologies demands access to more specialized and accurate knowledge than today's global political, military and industrial climate permits.

Rigorous monitoring by government ministries and committees, human rights organizations, and the public is an essential tool to secure against abuse and violation of human rights. Brain and body (non) invasive technologies represents new opportunities for manipulation and control and should be addressed in proper foras.

"The euthanasia debate requires us to confront the most basic of human concerns- the mortality of self and loved ones - and to balance the interest in preserving human life against the desire to die peacefully and with dignity ... This controversy may touch more people more profoundly than any other issue the court will face in the forseeable future." - Ninth Circuit Court judge Stephen Reinhardt. 1996 decision on the right-to-die-case: Compassion in dying et al. v. State of Washington.

Imagine, yourself or a loved one suffering from an incurable degenerative or disabling condition, terminal or non-terminal, requesting help to end life. A situation we all hope to never experience, but many of us will have to face. Personal references to belief systems, and life experience might guide us in the process leading to the final decision making of ending or prolonging life. What feels right for one person, might seem unacceptable to another.

Along with the concept of man-in-the-computer loop, the difficulty that crops up most often for the practicing engineer, is that of converting a given problem or subsystem into a mathematical model.

Along with the concept of man-in-the-computer loop, the difficulty that crops up most often for the practicing engineer, is that of converting a given problem or subsystem into a mathematical model. One may appreciate the mathematical significance, but the translation of the actual system into an abstract system can be troublesome. A system approach where needless ambiguities have been discarded or thoroughly weeded is a means of solving the difficulty. It is far too easy to formulate lengthy and complicated, resulting in lost excitement and value of the experience. An inquiry with optimum approach related to short-type-problems, the most difficult to devise, may produce the most economical and effective true information.

The danger this shortage of skilled scientific engineering and mathematical talent poses to the industry, and to the U.S. space prowess in general, is second only to a weapon of mass destruction in a U.S. city. - Joanne Maguire, Executive Vice President Lookheed Martin Space Systems.

Scientific knowledge is a power equally for good and evil. In peace and in war our survival as independent countries of the West rests on our ability to keep pace with changing circumstances. It is now certain that China is training more scientists and engineers than all the Western countries put together. It is equally certain from the appearance of the space race that the quality of the work being done in China is such as to ensure success in fields where we supposed we were supreme.

by Michael LaTorra

Introduction

Transhumanism is often misrepresented. By accident or design, this movement—a movement that aims at improving the lot of humanity through longer lifespans, greater material abundance, enhanced abilities, new powers, and a wealth of opportunities extending beyond current biological limits—has often been depicted as a villain without redeeming qualities. Rather than considering transhumanism on its own terms, we are often given a false choice: Is transhumanism a threat or a menace? Upon first reading Prof. Pickering's papers,1, 2 I was delighted to find that he is opposed to the "freezing and narrowing" of the definition of what it means to be human. Soon, however, I became discouraged when I encountered his claim that the expansive, liberating goals that I know to be the essence of transhumanism were, according to his ill-informed view, actually just the sort of freezing and narrowing he decried. I was at first puzzled as to how he could have so badly misunderstood actual existing transhumanism. Read the whole article